FIGS. 18 and 19 show a conventional fuse cavity 155 and an electric junction box 101. As shown in FIG. 18, a mini fuse 20 is a tall fuse, having a fuse body 21 made of synthetic resin, a pair of metallic tab terminals 25 projecting from both sides of the fuse body 21.
A metallic fuse element 27 having a substantially horizontal S shape is provided in the fuse body 21. The fuse element 27 electrically connects the pair of tab terminals 25 to each other. Further, when an excessive current flows through a circuit connected to the fuse element 27, the fuse element melts to break the circuit.
As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, by attaching the tall fuse 20 to a housing 150, a forked terminal 30, being mounted on a receiving part 172 of the housing 150, comes into contact with the tab terminal 25 of the fuse 20 to be electrically connected to the tab terminal 25. At this moment, since the tab terminal of the fuse 20 is inserted into a pair of clipping arms 31 of the forked terminal 30, the fuse 20 and a bus bar 140 are electrically connected to each other.
However, in a combination of the conventional fuse cavity 155 and the junction box 101, when the fuse 20 is inserted obliquely into the housing 150, it is possible that an edge 26a formed at a tip 26 of the tab terminal 25 may penetrate into a gap between a peripheral part 31a of the clipping arms 31 and a side wall 161 of the housing 150.
When the tab terminal 25 is inserted deeply into the gap, the forked terminal 30 may be deformed permanently. The tab terminal 25 may be also deformed permanently. If the clipping arms 31 of the forked terminal 30 are deformed permanently, the clipping arms may no longer hold the tab terminal 25 firmly as before. Further, such a problem may not only happen when the fuse 20 is attached to the housing 150 as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, but also may happen among other combinations of fuses and housings.
In view of above described problems, an object of this invention is to provide an electric junction box with a fuse cavity, which can reliably prevent a terminal mounted on a housing of the junction box from being deformed permanently.